Past Meets Present: A TMI fanfiction
by duckingglassmole895
Summary: Jace finds letters written by Will about Tessa.
1. The Letters

Author's Note: This story takes place when Clary and Jace are investigating Wayland Manor, and also spans through Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince (Spoiler Warning, for The Infernal Devices) the first paragraph is taken from page 191-192 of City of Glass by Cassandra. I do not own the Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices or any of their characters.

Clary glanced around. "So this is where you grew up? It's like something out of a fairy tale." "I was thinking a horror movie," Jace said. "God, it's been years since I've seen this place. It didn't used to be so-" "So cold?" Clary shivered a little. She buttoned her coat, but the cold in the manor was more than physical cold: The place _felt_ cold, as if there had never been warmth or light or laughter inside it.

"No," said Jace. "It was always cold. I was going to say _dusty_." He took a witchlight stone out of his pocket, and it flared to life between his fingers. Its white glow lit his face from beneath, picking out the shadows under his cheekbones, the hollows at his temples. "This is the study. The library is the second door on the left, down the hallway. I'll look in here, and meet you there when I'm finished." said Jace to Clary. "Okay, see you soon." replied Clary as she turned and walked towards the library.

Jace ducked into the study. It looked just like he remembered. The huge oak desk which sat with its back to the large window that looked over rolling Idris fields. The bookcase containing some of his father's books. And a large commode which he was never allowed looking in as a child.

He walked over to the desk first, rifled through its drawers, not finding much. Papers for the Circle's various plans, a picture with all the members of the Circle. He spotted Robert and Maryssa Lightwood, his adoptive parents; he also saw his and Alec's and Isabelle's tutor, Hodge, in the back of the picture. In the middle, he recognized Valentine-his father- looking only slightly younger than he did last time he had seen him. Next to him stood a young woman with long, red hair. With a start, Jace realized that the woman, who looked very much like Clary, must be Jocelyn, her mother. _My mother,_ thought Jace reluctantly. He didn't like thinking that he and Clary were related. What he felt for her, it wasn't how siblings were supposed to feel for each other. Pushing the picture- and the thought- aside, he opened another drawer. In it was a picture of Jace, underneath it, a sort of leash that looked to be for some sort of bird. Jace remembered the falcon his father had given him for his 10th birthday. How he had trained and come to love the bird. Then, when Jace had presented the bird proudly to his father, Valentine had killed the falcon. From then on, Jace had always kept his family at arms length, because, he always remembered _to love is to destroy. _When he had told the story to Clary, he'd seen pity in her eyes, but the truth was that he didn't feel anything about the falcon anymore. Shutting the drawer, he moved towards the bookcase.

In the shelves weren't many things of interest. Books his father read. He found spell books, with binding spells, summoning spells and the like. There was also a copy of the Gray Book, and other volumes in languages Jace had yet to master. And also a peculiar book entitled _Demon Pox_ if Jace were at another place at another time, he would have been compelled to examine it, but he was on a mission, no time to fool around.

He moved on to the commode. He didn't know why, but Valentine had strictly forbidden Jace to look in the huge carved oak wardrobe. He felt weird looking into it now, but he needed to do it. Calmly and slowly, he cracked open one of the doors. Then the other. A little disappointed, Jace was staring into a practically empty wardrobe, aside from a box, barely the size of a shoebox. Upon closer inspection, the box had a name on it. Herondale was written in delicate handwriting on one side. "Herondale?" said Jace, to himself, remembering Inquisitor Herondale, who had been mean and cruel to him when it was thought that Jace was a spy for Valentine, but then unexpectedly gave her life for his in the battle on Valentine's ship. "Why would the Inquisitor's name be written on something in my father's study?" Carefully, he removed the lid and set it down on the floor beside him. In it were letters. Opening one, Jace saw that they were address to someone named Nate and signed by a certain Tessa and a year, 1878. Looking quickly at the other letters, he found they were the same. Besides the letters, there was also a small pocketbook. Flipping it open, Jace saw that the handwriting was different. Signed by a _Will Herondale_. "The Inquisitor's ancestor?" Jace said aloud. He decided to read the first entry.

_May 18th, 1878_

_Today was… different. I had __a promising lead on where to find the Dark Sisters. _

The Dark Sisters, Jace recalled where a pair of Warlocks who practiced in dark magic and had belonged to a club called "Pandemonium."

_I went to the address, which turned out to be a mansion in Highgate. I went alone; Jem was feeling too ill to come with me. Of course, he asked me to wait a day or two and then we could go together, as parabatai, but I was eager to go, so I decided on leaving Jem out of this adventure. When I got to the mansion, I searched the rooms, finding nor hide nor hair of anyone or anything. But then, I reached a door which was locked. I used a simple opening rune and went inside when I was unexpectedly hit with a heavy object, which shattered easily when it hit the wall next to me, most probably porcelain. I looked to see who the devi__l threw a jug at me and saw the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. She had the most beautiful gray eyes and amazing brown hair. "You cut me!" I said to the girl. She then asked me if I was the Magister. I, even though I am one for nicknames, told her that I had never been referred to by that name. She looked at me like I was mad. I asked her what her name was. She said "Miss Tessa Gray." I introduced myself then, and told her that we needed to get out of there as quickly as possible. I was sure the Dark __Sisters were in the house, and that it was only a matter of moments before they found us. And, as I knew would happen, the Sisters found us, chased us into a room with no way out, I might add. And right on time, just as the Sisters were barging through the door, Henry and Thomas blew down the wall and swooped in. Just in time at that. We took one of the Sisters out easily, whilst the other one decided to give up this fight. I looked over to where Miss Gray had been standing just moments ago, but she was now unconscious, probably from a shard__ of glass or such._Jace remembered suddenly the first time he'd seen Clary, one night at Pandemonium Club when she'd barged into that supply closet where he was _just_ about to kill a demon. And the second night, when he'd followed her home when a Ravener attacked her mother. Why did his first meeting with Clary so much like the one with this Herondale boy? He continued the letter: _After the account at Highgate, Charlotte had the mansion searched, but didn't find anything, except for some books and a pile of letters, written to Miss Gray's brother, Nathaniel Gray. I don't know why, but Charlotte entrusted me with the letters. Against my better judgment (but do I really have one?) I read the letters. I fell in love with her words. The way she wrote was just beautiful, she wrote with such clarity, and I knew exactly what she'd been thinking and feeling when she wrote the letters. And she loved books! She practically breathed them, she mentioned in one letter that the one thing she missed, being locked in that horrible house-besides her brother- was that she did not have access to many books. The Sisters had given her some-the books that were found in her room- but she said she missed her old friends. Charlotte's told me that Miss Gray has woken up, I shall go speak with her. And hopefully not make a fool of myself __Will Herondale_

Jace finished the entry. He flipped through the book. The letters recounted many moments that the boy-Will- had shared with Tessa. He didn't read all the entries, simply skimmed through them. He saw Will fall deeper in love with Tessa; saw how reluctant he was to show her how she truly felt-though Jace didn't understand why. As he read on through the entries, he saw why. Will had a curse placed on him by a demon, many years ago, which killed anyone who loved Will. It had happened to the boy's older sister, Ella. Will had fled his family in Wales, and lived at the Institute. There, he kept everyone at arms length, so that nobody would suffer the same fate as his sister. Jace also read of Will's parabatai, Jem, who was gravely ill with some demon disease that was slowly killing him. Will allowed Jem to see his true self. _Jem is my great sin_ he had written. Flipping towards the end of the journal, Jace stopped at one entry.

_July 12th 1878,_

_Tonight, I received great news, and bad news. Magnus and I have been working hard at trying to find the demon that cursed me, and last night, at Benedict Lightwood's party, I found him- the demon Marbas. Magnus raised him, after which I found out that Marbas had not, in fact, cast a curse on me, still being weak from being trapped in a Pyxis all those years. At first I was angry, but the giddy, because it meant I could finally show my true self to the people who have loved me- Charlotte, Henry, Jem, and most specially, Tessa. When I got back to the Institute, I found Tessa in the drawing room, where I (idiotically) confessed my love for her. She told me that Jem had proposed to her, and that she had accepted. I felt my whole world fall apart then. Jem, my Jem, who I could never be angry at, had my Tessa, for whom I could have listened to her talk about books forever, and I could never bore. I was to busy trying to fix my curse- one that had __**never**__ been there in the first place, that I did not see which was right in front of me. And now, she was gone. I told her to break it off with Jem. But she never would have done that, it would have ruined him. And I knew that I could never be happy if Jem, my best friend, my brother, was destroyed. At that moment I got up and walked out, before I would say anything I knew I'd regret later. It should teach me, I was to busy with me, and I let Tessa slip away. And I should never have let that happen. And now, I've lost her__.__Will Herondale_

Jace slowly put the letters and books back in their place in the commode. He strangely related with Will. He felt the same thing that happened to him happening with he and Clary. And even though Jace knew that he and Clary could never be, he was still unexpectedly drawn to her. Like a moth to a flame. He remembered, seeing her with Simon had practically torn him apart. And he saw the look on her face when she caught him with Aline Penhallow. He loved her, and she loved him. He couldn't let her get away. He didn't want to lose her like Will had Tessa. He loved her, even though it was so wrong. But Jace felt like he was evil inside. So if he was evil, why should he do the right thing? He heard a thumping noise in the background and then "Jace, come here, I found something!" It was Clary, coming from the library. He stood up; put the box where it had been left, forgotten. But Jace knew that he would never forget its words of that past, which so easily fit with his present.


	2. Magnus's Story

**A/N: Okay, sorry I haven't updated in a while, I had slight writers block, and well, honestly, I had no idea what to do with this chapter! But here I am, and here it is. I have a bit of an idea forming for a chapter 3, so it might come soon.**

**Anyways, this chapter happens a few months after the last chapter, sometime during City of Fallen Angels. **

**(There are _slight _spoilers from Clockwork Prince, and a little one for City of Glass, but it's nothing crucial)**

**Also, the chest that Magnus opens during this chapter is taken from "Magnus's Vow" the short story at the end of the paperback edition of Clockwork Angel.**

**I should also mention that I do not own any of these characters; they all belong to the amazing Cassandra Clare.**

**Enjoy!**

Jace stared at the buzzer, hesitating to press it. On one hand, he was curious about the boy who'd written the journal he'd found, and he knew that Magnus could answer his questions. But on the other hand, he was afraid. What if Will's story didn't end well? Even though now he could be with Clary without feeling like a complete monster, he still felt like there was more meaning in those words he found in Wayland manor. He'd wished he'd kept the journal, hidden it in his jacket, but now that the manor was destroyed, it was gone forever. He pressed the button and a familiar voice chimed:

"Alec darling, is that you?" said Magnus

"Um, no, Magnus, it's Jace, Alec's parabatai?" he felt nervous, for some reason.

"Oh, it's you." replied Magnus. "What do you want?"

"I have to talk to you about something. About Will Herondale?" There was a pause, static through the intercom.

"Alright, come on in." Jace went up the two sets of stairs, where Magnus waited on the threshold of his apartment. "How do you know about Will? Questioned Magnus before Jace was even up the stairs.

"Um…." Started Jace.

"Oh, don't answer that here, come inside. My neighbours are snoopy." Jace stepped into the apartment. It looked much different then it did when Jace had been there last. It looked like a room from the Victorian era. Even though he'd never admit it, Jace liked how Magnus' apartment changed every time he was there.

"When I was in Wayland Manor, back in Idris, I found a journal. It'd been written by a Will Herondale. At first I read them because I recognized the Inquisitor's name, and since she died for me… I was curious as to why some of her family's things were in the house I grew up in. But now, I found out that this Will is actually, like, my great-great grandfather or something, and he mentioned you in the letters and I just wanted to find out more about him… About my family and I thought that you were the best person to ask, since it seems like you knew him." Said Jace in a rush, even though he wasn't sure of his words. Magnus looked at him for a long time. "You know, you look nothing like him, you must take after Céline." Said Magnus.

"You knew?" asked Jace.

"Of course I knew. There is little that happens in the Shadow World that I do not know about."

"Why didn't you tell me?" retorted Jace.

"Well, you never asked did you? And, honestly, I don't like you all that much either, I don't owe you anything. Nevertheless, back to Will. You know, he actually has an uncanny resemblance to Alec, now that I think of it." Magnus moved towards the wall next to the large fireplace. With a flick of his wrist, the wall moved apart, revealing a large, blue chest made out of some sort of wood. He opened it, and pulled out a photograph. "This is Will, with the other Shadowhunters of the London Institute, in 1878." Jace stared at the photo. It was true, the boy Magnus pointed out as Will did look a lot like Alec. Next to Will was a girl with long, brown hair. That must've been Tessa. Jace suddenly had a flash. He'd seen Magnus talking to the very same girl at the party after the battle at Brocelind Plain. She must be a Warlock. Jace suddenly felt a pang of sadness for Will, to love a girl so much, like he obviously had, knowing that she would outlive him. He wondered if that's how Alec felt with Magnus. Pushing the thought aside, Jace turned to Magnus. "How did you know him?"

Magnus replied "Ah, that was such a long time ago," he was looking at Jace, though his yellow cat's eyes looked very far away, "but it seems like it was just yesterday." Anyhow, I was seeing Camille at the time-" "Camille Belcourt? The vampire?" asked Jace, surprised. "We've all made some unfortunate mistakes over the years, little Shadowhunter. Now, I advise that you do not interrupt me again or I might forget what we're talking about altogether." Snapped Magnus, annoyed. Jace opened his mouth, at first to say something sarcastic, but then decided against it. "Sorry, please continue" he said finally, he didn't want to anger Magnus, he needed to know more about Will, and Magnus was probably his best way at getting information. But Magnus wasn't paying attention anymore; he was turned towards the fireplace.

"The head of the Institute, Charlotte Branwell, contacted Camille because they suspected de Quincey- who was the head of the London vampire clan- was planning something bad. At first Camille didn't want to go, she would never have betrayed the head vampire of London, no matter how much she hated him. But then it came to her attention that at the Institute was the Warlock girl with Shape-Shifting abilities who'd been rescued from the Dark Sisters' house by a young Shadowhunter- who incidentally turns out to be your Will. Together, they concocted a plan to infiltrate de Quincey home and catch him doing something illegal under the new Accords, by having Tessa shape-shift into Camille, and Will going as her subjugate."

Magnus paused and walked over towards the blue chest and pulled out a mask, it looked like something someone would wear at a masquerade ball. He looked at it as if it was a priceless artifact. "Camille asked me to attend the party with them to show them around, make sure they didn't do anything stupid to give themselves away. So, I went. That was the first time I met Will Herondale, and he left quite an impression. He was a lot like you, I can see the resemblance. The same arrogance in his walk. He even had a sense of humor that would put yours to shame. Then after de Quincey's party, he came to my apartment to ask me to help him. You Shadowhunters are all the same, I help you once and because of that, you think you can come running to me whenever you see fit."

Magnus placed the photograph and the mask back into the chest, shut the lid, and with another flick of his wrist, the chest moved back into the wall, and the wall sealed itself shut, as if nothing was ever there. Jace looked at Magnus. He couldn't believe that he knew so much about this boy who was related to him somehow. It felt surreal; he could get any information he needed from him, it felt almost to easy. A hundred questions were drifting in his head. There was so much he wanted to know. What had happened with Will and Tessa? Where was he buried? In Idris, or somewhere else? What kind of life had he led? All of these, and Jace picked the first one that came to mind.

"What did he need your help with?" he asked, with a little bit more confidence he hadn't had earlier. Magnus smiled. "He thought he was cursed. Years before, he'd accidentally freed the demon Marbas from a Pyxis and, being young, had believed that Marbas placed a curse on him; dooming anyone he loved to die. His older sister had died not long after that, which made Will believe the curse was real and drove him to run away from his family in Wales to the Institute in London I tried to help him the best I could, it's hard to summon a demon when all you have to go on is that it's blue. But, it was quite fun having him around. You see, I found out Camille had been seeing another man while she was away in Paris, so I told her that I was in a relationship with Will, to make her jealous, he was quite a good kisser, I should say." Magnus chuckled at the memory. Then, he turned to Jace "I believe that he kept everyone at arms length because of his curse. Of course, what he didn't know was that a demon, having been imprisoned in the Pyxis was too weak to place a curse on the boy. His face had lit up quite a bit when he found that out. He was in love with Tessa, and he could love her, now that he wasn't worried about her sudden demise. Of course, by then, he was too late."

Magnus said the last line with great sadness. As if he'd felt the heartbreak himself. "So… what happened after? With him and Tessa, I mean." Magnus opened his mouth to reply just as the door to the apartment opened. Standing on the threshold was Alec, dressed in his usual black-pant-black-sweater ensemble. He looked slightly worried. Jace wondered if he'd overheard his conversation with Magnus.

"Alec!" exclaimed Magnus, walking over to his boyfriend and embracing him in a welcoming hug. He went to place a kiss on Alec's lips, but Alec sidestepped him and looked over to Jace.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, a little too aggressively.

"I just wanted Magnus's opinion on a scarf I wanted to buy" said Jace, scrambling for an excuse. He hadn't told Alec about the letters he'd found. He hadn't told anyone. He didn't know why, he just felt that he wasn't ready to share Will's story with anyone. But the excuse wasn't enough. He saw in Alec's eyes that he didn't believe Jace's sorry excuse; he'd probably overheard the conversation. Jace would have a lot of explaining to do later. "Anyways, I should be going. Thanks for the advice, Magnus." Magnus nodded to him, looking slightly uncomfortable. He also knew that Alec had overheard their conversation. Jace walked towards the door and told Alec he's seen him later.

Before the door shut behind him, he heard Alec ask "Who's Will?" with a tone of hurt in his voice. Walking down the stairs, Jace hoped he hadn't gotten Magnus into too much trouble. On the street all the way to the Institute, his head was filled with thoughts of Will Herondale.


End file.
